Reviews by barnzy78:

12oz. Thanks to Ken for picking this one up on a recent fishing trip to WI.

Poured an opaque, hazy, dull yellow color with a thick, foamy white head that left a layer atop the ale for the remainder of the drink. Instantly smells like a German Hefeweizen - strong yeast, clove, with some banana hints. Also some hints of citrus - mainly orange that could be from the Amarillo hops; hard to tell at this point. Tastes are complex from the start. Definite weisse characteristics intermingle with the hops that dance around the palate. Yeast, clove, orange, grapefruit and maybe some bubblegum aspects come to mind - this is very reminiscent of New Glarus's Unplugged Imperial Weizen, but obviously toned down in the alcohol department. This one finishes somewhat dry but somewhat not, somewhat bitter, somewhat spicy (clove and some spiciness from the hops). I like the idea, but in this case I feel like I would rather have one or the other, not both styles together. I applaud the effort and I am sure Dan Carey produced what he was going for here. Very unique and worth the try.

More User Reviews:

It pours a semi-hazy pale gold with a billowing head that billows above the I think 20oz. glass. As the head dies down it settles into an almost finger width cap that is present throughout the whole beer. A maze of lacing plasters itself along the walls of the glass as the liquid inside gets lower and lower. There are streams of tiny bubbles rising from the bottom the whole time. My only complaint is I wish it were a little more hazy and I even made sure to swirl the last few ounces before pouring.

The smell is kind of confusing to me. I'm not sure if its the yeast mixed with the dry-hopping but the smell that strikes me first is the same smell one gets when it opens up a package of Oscar Meyer hot dogs. Its really strange but not as off putting as it would seem. Behind that all I'm really getting is a clove-like character.

Upfront the taste is that signature Amarillo taste; grapefruit all the way. Then it turn more of a traditional hefeweizen with the kind of slick wheat and clove taste. There is no hot dog taste to it which I was happy to see.

Mouthfeel is much like any other hefeweizen where it is pretty slick and goes down easy. The additional dry-hop hasn't hampered anything.

Overall it's a little confusing with the prominent hops in a wheat beer but I think it is pulled off decently. I've drank this beer many times and will continue to drink it again. This beer is a good fit for summer where the addition of the grapefruit taste is welcomed by the tradition hefeweizen character.

Wow, in tradition of New Glarus nonconformity, we have a wheat beer with a brick of Amarillo hops thrown at it.

No worries about the size of the head here (no need to check for steroids, either), as it is just beer ... an impressive-looking beer with a typical hazed, golden glow. The head likes to stick around as well. Big, fragrant, raw herbal notes; powdered aspirin and tangerine Amarillo hop aroma with some biscuity malt and nutty yeast in the back. Smoothness pops with every sip; medium bodied. Smacks of Amarillo hops; bitterness draws in a pucker, but never charges in with sharpness. The dry hopping adds more of a complimenting flavor throughout, with lemongrass and citric flavors. Clean wheat flavor with a nutty yeast by its side. Finishes dry and hoppy.

Amarillo is a tough hop to tame; in the wrong hands, it can become a catastrophe. That is not the case here, as it adds a needed depth to the American Wheat Ale style. Delicious comes to mind.

Hazy straw yellow with an inch of bubbly white head. Aromas of crisp wheat with clove, banana and big bubblegum tones as well. Citric Amarillo hops battle for supremacy, adding a dash of herbal resin and then taking over the show. Quite in your face with a perplexing melding of hops and hefeweizen yeast.

First sip brings crisp wheat with lots of yeast phenols. Clove, banana and bubblegum are the most noticeable. As it flows down the Amarillo hops blast in bringing along a bold bitterness that ratchets this up to an IPA level of hops. Finishes with a conglomeration of citric hop resins and yeast tones.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and the brew goes down easily. Good summer brew here - but I'm not a big fan of the hefe yeast vs. the hoppiness here and the way it clashes on my palate. Worth a try, especially if you never had the Imperial Weizen.

The beer pours a hazy light yellow color with a huge white head. The aroma is basic hefeweizen with some banana, wheat and vanilla notes. I get a little clove, but not too much.

The flavor is wheat, banana, cloves and some orange citrus notes. As the beer warms, I start to get some grassy hops and a low amount of bitterness. A very interesting flavor combination that makes this a unique beer.

Good glow from the beer, yellow, lots of haze, massive head. Aroma was very hoppy for style, citrus orange and tangerine feel to it.

Taste, layers of hops, wheat, pepper and banana produce one of the most unique flavor profiles in a beer I've ever had. Should call it cracked weird. Relies on citrus hop flavor more than the marginal amount of banana clove yeast flavors. Like a west coast wheat. Not as good as sumpinx2, but more unique I'd say, and not all that distant of a second to it or Gumballhead. Wheat flavor is grassy and dry. Carbonation remains on point throughout, wish this one was a little more widely available when I make it back to Wisconsin.

Pours a slightly hazy yellow-orange color with a 1.5-finger white head. The head recedes into a thin pancake on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of loads of ripe bananas with faint hints of citrus and herbal hops and clove.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Banana and wheat flavors hit right off the bat and are joined midsip by light amounts of citrus hops. Near the end of the sip clove joins in right before a surprisingly bitter ending.

Poured a hefe-hazy golden color with two fingers of pale white head. Smell is slight and reminds me of bananas and coriander, standard for a wheat. Very clean and wheat like taste. Crisp and slightly dry. Drinks very easily and is on the strong side for a wheat. Extremely refreshing and definitely would buy again if I could.

Aroma: Strong bubble bum aroma upfront followed by banana and a hint of clove. A nice musty aroma.

Taste: This is a bit dry. Your tounge expects a certain sweetnes but all you get is bitterness and a fruity essence. Alcohol seems a bit more pronounced then most wheat beers. But maybe its just the unexpected bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Tasty average carbonation. Smooth not much thicker then water.

Drinkability: This has an odd bitterness for a wheat. I know its a pale/hefeweizen combo but the dryness and bitterness make it a bit rough for me.

Poured into a pint glass. Appearance was typical of a nice yeast filled Hefe. The aroma is what you notice right away. The beer is exactly as advertised being a cross between an IPA and a Wheat. The aroma can be a bit off putting at fist, but I think that is due more to the non-typical nature of this beer than it "not being quite right." The beer had a real nice, smooth mouth feel in line with a quality Hefe-Weizen. The flavor was very unique, with a bit of tartness to it and a bit of a lingering bitter/metallic aftertaste.

I found the beer to be exactly as advertised and very unique and drinkable. I will definitely have again and would recommend to anyone who enjoys Wheat beers and wants to try something a bit different.

Cloudy orange-leaning sunshine gold with an abundant cap of creaminess on top.

Tons of citrus in the nose, especially lime zest, assisted by clove and a strong flowery/perfume-y angle. Yeast simmers underneath it all, providing further depth, with hops also showing up. Kind of reminds of the nose on various Belgian IPAs. Scintillating aroma, to say the least.

A blast of tartness and bitterness hits immediately upon first sip. Dry, earthy, with a pervading pull from citrus peel. The grassy character is balanced with a grainy, husky vibe that must be the Wisconsin red wheat noted on the label. Light banana and pear notes, with Amarillo hops very much in the equation. Orange and various spices mingle into the equation. As the label promises, its a marriage of an American pale ale and a German hefeweizen, yet the open-top fermentation adds something to Crack'd Wheat that's indelibly Belgian in character (somewhere between a Belgian golden/pale ale a tripel). Clearly a complex and experimental hybrid.

Fluffy and soft yet also zingy on the tongue, with just-right carbonation and a little tartness to the finish.

An interesting experiment, no doubt, and one I'd like to revisit, as I don't feel I entirely "got it" with this one bottle. New Glarus are pretty much the midwest's answer to Dogfish Head, in terms of their experimental approach and the success rate of those experiments.

Opaque honey colored under a monstrous rise of buttermilk cream. The head is as sticky and enduring as any I've seen.
The nose features oranges prominently, with more tart notions of lemons deeper in the blanket of doughy wheat. Clove pops up here and there, as do subtler notions of vanilla, and bananas. In other words, it smells like a Creamsicle.
A touch husky at its onset into the mouth, it sweetens and smooths with lemony, doughy wheat. Pepper and clove keep things prickly, as the creamed tropical fruits slide down. Orange, papaya, apricot, banana. All of this is surrounded by some pudding-like vanilla hues. Hops get a little lost in the fray (though they certainly help produce some of the aforemention fruity tones), as it concludes with a ghostly resinousness and peppery bitterness.
Medium built with a good deal of charging CO2. The body is plush, but carries no undue stickiness or cling. It's just damn drinkable.
This is pretty much as advertised: A Hefeweizen/US Pale Ale cross. It's a bit of a quirky marriage, but it's something I'll get used to...fast.

I'll start by saying the words "American Pale Wheat Ale" usually fill me with dread and disgust. I feel that this is one of the least exciting American styles, and they usually fall well short of decent beer. The only exception being Gumballhead, which I haven't had in a couple years due to distribution issues, but I remember fondly as being a solid beer. That being said, I'm set to review this beer with an open mind, and give it a fair shake.

Appearance is a hazy orange, slight yeast trails swirl in the mix. Huge head drops slowly, leaving some sticky looking lace. Looks good so far.

Smell is tangy, citrus mostly, with a gentle hop aroma. Good here, but not great.

Taste is equal amounts of apricot, citrus fruits, cinnamon, and clove. A definite grainy wheat flavor comes through, making this a hearty, earthy brew. The bottle reads "...Imperial Weizen ratchets down for the session." I could not put it better than that. The younger brother to the Imp. Weizen. 'Nuff said.

Mouthfeel is full, creamy, with a short and sweet finish.

Overall, a very good beer, and a great choice to session. Full of flavor, and character, this beer will leave you smiling after half a sixer. Cheers!

Crack'd Wheat pours a deeply hazy, but not quite cloudy, orange-gold body beneath a full head of creamy white foam. Average retention and lacing. The aroma expresses banana, sweetish bread dough, a touch of vanilla, some candyish clove, pine, and a hint of citrusy fruitiness. In the mouth it's medium to medium-light in body, and crisp with a firm carbonation. The flavor delivers more of the citrusy fruitiness, and it's a bit chalky like citrus rind, and a bit raspy. In your initial sips you taste the banana and the clove, but the further you get into it, the more the citrus appears as it builds on the palate. It even starts to become a touch piney. The wheaty malt makes a great platform for it, and a firm bitterness anchors it. By the time you're done, there's lots of pine, and it finishes dry with a flicker of citrus, a pinch of raspy pine, and some dull spiciness reminiscent of coriander. Unusual.

A: Pours a light yellow body, with a dull white head that holds a foamy retention. The beer does not leave any lacing.
S: A typical aroma for a Hefe, but this does hold a bit of a cinnamon notes, along with the banana and clove. A slight hint of bubblegum, but not as pronounced as the Dancing' Man.
T/M: A refreshing mouthfeel, that is crisp and clean. The overall taste is very good, just too light on the overall flavors. A great rendition of the style. A good lingering taste, just the way a true Hefe should be.
D: Great drinkablity, my wife said this would be the beer to bring a sixer to the beach. I find that its easy drinking and good flavors rank it high in this area.

A: Gentle pour yields an outrageous 5 finger foamy white head that appears near immovable. Beer is a cloudy lemon. Lacing is patchy and clumpy with substantial foam clinging to the sides. A bit much.

S: Nose is wheaty and sugary with notes of soap, raspberry and strawberry. Fruit flavor is all the way in the background but serves to sweeten the overall experience.

T: Typical wheaty, slightly soapy opening but my palate is surprised by a nice fruity tartness. Citrus in the back is a good contrast against the mundane sweetness. Yeasty at times. Finishes with a sharp spiciness. Aftertaste is soapy but doesn't linger.

M: Light bodied, highly carbonated, very lively and coarse. Soapy and slightly watery in the mouth with a quick and apparent finish. Aftertaste is slightly oily.

D: Coming from New Glarus, I expected something a bit more fruity than what this beer delivers. Not much different than most run of the mill wheat beers, it adds a nice fruit component but this barely peaks its head in my opinion. Again, a nice offering but nothing special.

taste: blurs the lines between IPA and pale wheat, lovely fresh citrus flavors dominated by orange, tangerine, and a touch of grapefruit...light pine, crisp wheat, strongly spiced with corriander, white pepper, and clove, bubblegum, yeast, banana...just a mashup of good things that would be a welcome addition to the regular lineup. It might not measure up to Dancing Man or Imperial Weizen to a lot of people (myself included), but nothing else can either (by any US brewery)